West Bromwich Albion were denied victory against Liverpool by Divock Origi's late strike in an entertaining 2-2 draw.

Craig Dawson had earlier cancelled out Jordan Henderson's opener, before Jonas Olsson saw his goal ruled out for offside following much deliberation.

There was plenty more drama to come in the second half, too, as Olsson managed to find a way through once more at the end of a fine set-piece delivery, only for a late deflected effort to deny the Baggies all three points.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look back at how the action-packed Premier League contest unfolded on Merseyside.

Match statistics

LIVERPOOL
Shots: 28
On target: 8
Possession: 70%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 7

WEST BROMWICH ALBION
Shots: 4
On target: 2
Possession: 30%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 10

Was the result fair?

Liverpool had intended to use today's game as a chance to not only get their Premier League campaign back on track following last weekend's setback at Newcastle United, but to also finally kick-start Jurgen Klopp's reign in front of the Anfield faithful. The Reds have very much kept their best performances for the road under the German, which was once more the case in this entertaining stalemate.

For all of the hosts' shots - 28 of them in all - very few of them forced Boaz Myhill into making anything other than a routine stop. In the end this proved to be a contest all about the quality of crosses into the box, with Albion ultimately benefiting most from the numerous passes from wide positions by finding a way through three times in all - one of which was ruled out by a delayed offside flag.

It was Liverpool who were left celebrating come full time, though, as Klopp led a team celebration in front of a rather bemused Kop, who had just seen their side stutter to a draw. West Brom can certainly feel hard done by in terms of the manner in which the three points were snatched away from them so late on, yet on the balance of the 90 minutes there is little denying that the final result was just about the fair outcome.

Liverpool's performance

One point gained or two points dropped? Clearly the answer for most will be the latter, as Liverpool were strong favourites to pick up a first win in three this afternoon to climb back up the table. As it was, though, some real slack defending almost cost them even a point as their Anfield struggles continue to go on under the guidance of Klopp.

The manner in which West Brom scored their first of the match will upset the Reds boss most, after a straightforward catch from a corner ended with Simon Mignolet allowing the ball to squirm through his hands where a couple of Albion players were waiting to pounce. It is the 16th defensive error that the Merseyside outfit have made already this season - the most of any team in Europe's top five leagues.

If that said a lot about the defensive frailties still present, then the late strike underlined the growing character within the Reds' ranks. Origi will no doubt have been upset to have been watching on from the bench once more, yet he ultimately proved to be the difference for his side as, after much probing that led to little, his long-range attempt deflected beyond the reach of a wrong-footed Myhill. Not an ideal result for the home side, then, but now just the two defeats in 14 games under Klopp.

West Bromwich Albion's performance

Almost the perfect gameplan executed by Tony Pulis, who has now seen his side take points off Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool over the past few weeks. The Welshman will be delighted by the way in which the Baggies capitalised on their set-piece chances, yet will ultimately feel disappointed not to have held out during the eight minutes of added time.

It was very much a siege on the Albion goal for large parts of the second half, but Liverpool's failure to find a way through was not necessarily all down to the way that their opponents defended. While West Brom did indeed keep a compact shape, made all the more solid by the presence of Jonny Evans in midfield this afternoon, the Reds' profligacy when finding some space was ultimately to blame. Twice they were carved open, the first of which saw Christian Benteke slot in Adam Lallana to miss when through one-on-one.

The Midlanders had their own chance to seal the points up the other end, meanwhile, only for the relatively ineffective Salomon Rondon to drag an effort wide when left in a promising position. Just nine goals had been scored in Albion's last seven away games before today, but this topsy-turvy contest will be viewed in one of two ways by Pulis - a battling draw at the home of a side rejuvenated under Klopp, or a big opportunity missed to close in on the top half.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Gareth McAuley: May have conceded twice, but he was a real presence at the back for the visitors throughout and a little unlucky to have seen his side denied so cruelly at the end. Also proved to be a threat at the other end of the field from set pieces to highlight his all-round worth.

Biggest gaffe

Liverpool may have made the most defensive errors of any team in the continent's top-five divisions, but six of those can be put down solely to Mignolet. Many argue that the Reds need a new stopper as a priority in January, with Jack Butland being touted as a potential target, and the howler for the first goal goes to show why. The Belgian failed to collect a simple enough cross, allowing Rondon to pick out Dawson, who did the rest from close range.

Referee performance

Not the quietest of games for Craig Pawson, whose biggest decision came at the very end of the first half. The call to rule out Olsson's effort may have been contentious, but replays showed that it was indeed the correct one - that is surely all that counts. Pawson also did well to allow Origi to play on when being tripped six minutes into stoppage time, which proved a truly massive decision as the forward went on to convert.

What next?

Liverpool: Liverpool face Watford next weekend before taking on the Premier League's surprise package in Leicester City on Boxing Day.

West Bromwich Albion: The Baggies have a nice run of fixtures to come, beginning with a meeting against Bournemouth in six days' time at The Hawthorns.